"Three men only, among so many thousands of gallant soldiers! What a piece of impertinence. You deserve a flogging; but come, let us see who these three men are!"
"The first one, naturally, is myself; the second, is my cousin Barbarossa; and the third shall be you, if you choose," said the jester.
"How is that!" interrupted Erwin. "Am not I a man too?"
"No," replied Lanzo. "To be a man, you must be free; and your heart is in bondage!"
"A sorry joke!" said the Duke, with a laugh.
"And all the others are the mere dolls, puppets, wooden horses, armorbearers, and bloodhounds of one man, named Barbarossa. Mix up all these creatures together, pound them into a paste, and put it under a press; you will not extract the least action of independence, energy, or generosity."
"Hum! you are not far wrong; but we are forgetting the important part. What is it that your Excellency is empowered to communicate to me?"
"That you must go at once to your cousin; she has been seeking you for the last hour."
The Duke took his leave of Rechberg, and in company with the jester went towards the tent of the Princess of Saxony.